|
Tuesday, December 19, 2006 No. 12 Vol. 85 Today’s Program:
Lutheran Church of the Cross Bell Choir
The Spiritual Aims Committee is pleased to present the Bell Choir
from Lutheran Church of the Cross (LCC) for our holiday program today.
Under the direction of Rebecca Peterson, Music Director, the bells will
capture the essence of the holiday season.
In addition to performing for our Club, the LCC Bell Choir has
already performed holiday concerts at the Northeast Publix, The Arts
Center and Allendale Park. They are also scheduled for Lutheran
Residences this evening and for First Night on December 31.
Normally, the adult choir has 18 ringers with several of the members
playing multiple bells. However, due to work schedules, some members
were not able to be with us today. We thank Skip Carr for making
Nancy Hartney available for our program. In addition to the
adult choir, LCC has approximately 40 youngsters learning the bells.
They perform monthly for the congregation.
A hand bell is a bell designed to be rung by hand. To ring a hand
bell, a ringer grasps the bell by its slightly flexible handle –
traditionally made of leather, but often now made of plastic – and snaps
it to make the hinged clapper inside strike.
Some of the bells are dainty and some are very large and heavy. You
are invited to visit with the Choir after the program to feel the weight
of the larger bells and to attempt to ring them.
Hand bell techniques have changed very much over the years. Donald
Allured, founding director of Westminster Concert Bell Choir, is
credited with fully realizing an American “off the table” style of
ringing that includes many non-ringing sound effects including stopped
techniques such as plucking the clapper with the bell on the table.
Mrs. Peterson may include some of these unique sounds in our program
today.
What a delightful way to ring in the season! Please welcome the
members of the adult Bell Choir from Lutheran Church of the Cross.
What’s Happening?
Foster Child Gifts Due Today
The Christmas Angels Program Foster Children gifts are due at today’s
meeting, so if you did not bring your gifts, please make arrangements
with Ron Scoggins or Kathy Condon, co-chairs of the Young
Children Priority One Committee, for drop-off and distribution. Thanks
to all of you for helping make the holidays special for the 100 foster
children our Club members ‘adopted.’
Kiwanis, Kettles and Kontributions
If you’re planning to make
a year-end donation to the Salvation Army and want it to
count in our competition with Rotary for most money raised, you can give
a check or cash today to J. C. Russell or Skip Carr who
will place it in the kettle on the 21st. The Salvation Army will be
happy to receive your contribution regardless of when you give it,
however, if we lose to Rotary and you made your contribution after the
21st, we’ll have to slap you upside the head with the kettle
tender’s bell.
Fun Fact
Originating in 17th Century England, hand bells first came
to the United States in 1840. P. T. Barnum made them popular as part of
his circus. Later, hand bell acts showed up on the vaudeville
circuit. In the 1940s, hand bells were being rung in churches. Most
bells today are made of bronze or brass. These have been manufactured
in the United States since the 1960s.
LAST WEEK AT KIWANIS
Ken Burke, Clerk of the Circuit Court for Pinellas County
Markus Mittermayr introduced our speaker, Ken Burke, the Clerk
of the Circuit Court, whom he credited with modernizing and making more
user-friendly the filing of pleadings and the storage of more than a
million files all of which is under his jurisdiction.
Ken Burke began his talk with a tribute to the late Charles Kaniss
whom he said always helped other people and was truly involved in his
community. Ken went on to talk about his K-Club participation at
Seminole High in the ‘70s and his membership in Kiwanis for over 20
years. Kiwanis awarded Burke a scholarship that allowed him to attend
St. Petersburg Junior College which paved the way for his career
accomplishments and commitment to serving on local nonprofit boards and
professional organizations.
The Clerk of the Circuit Court manages all courthouse records, a
local budget of approximately $12 million and about 600 employees. The
figures Burke cited for different divisions of filings, pleadings and
records handled by his office were staggering as follows.
Probate Court – In this department records relating to estates and
wills, guardianships, Baker-Acted people, Mental Health and Substance
Abuse are maintained.
Traffic – About 18,000 traffic citations are issued a month in
Pinellas County alone.
Civil – Judge Shames oversees this area, which sees 6,000+
divorce and child support records, almost 5,000 domestic violence
petitions and 9,000 small claims matters. Almost 11,000 Tenant/Landlord
petitions came in last year, 20,000 felony cases, 10,000 misdemeanor
cases, and 26,000 juvenile cases opened up of which about 6,000 are
Neglect and Dependency issues.
Ken’s office issued 7,813 marriage licenses last year and, in fact,
his office performed nearly 1,600 marriages in the same time period.
Almost 18,000 passport applications came in as well as recordings of
Deeds and Mortgage Taxes. His office also is responsible for issuing
dock permits for the County, for handling jury service, acting as the
print shop for the county and he is also the postmaster general for the
court. Finally, his office is the internal audit shop for the County.
The biggest challenges facing his office is the maintenance of records
that have now soared to a million, some of which can be phased out over
time and some of which, like adoption records, must be maintained for a
hundred years.
Ken Burke was an engaging and enthusiastic speaker and we learned a
lot about what he considers to be ‘the most misunderstood office.’
Thanks, Ken, for all you’re doing to improve record-keeping and
implement useful technological methods for handling, storing and
retrieving data.
I’d Walk A Thousand Miles For One Of Your Smiles
The event may have been about healthy teeth, but entertainment was
the rule of the day at Dr. Ron O’Neal’s Save A Smile/Healthy
Smiles event as volunteers and others helped take the sting out of
dentistry for 45 youngsters. Kathy Condon reported that K-9
police performed for the children, as did a balloon artist, the Chick-fil-A
cow delivered sandwiches and a bouncy house kept children smiling even
as they prepared to undergo what even many capable adults most fear – a
trip to the dentist. Former Buccaneer Jeb Terry brought banners
and gave autographs to the children and Santa made an early run bringing
presents to all the brave little soldiers in attendance. Santa and his
gifts were jointly sponsored by Lorin Bridge and Acme Air
Conditioning and Weyman Willingham and Wallace Welch, &
Willingham. Eleven Kiwanians in all volunteered to help out with the
children demonstrating once again that Kiwanians go the extra mile to
improve kids’ lives and futures.
Jim Fischer Scholarship Recipients Send Their Thanks
Bob Byelick read two letters to us from our two most recent
recipients of scholarship funds. Both North Shore Elementary students,
the sixth graders thanked us for the opportunity the Fischer
scholarships make possible and spoke of their aspirations and current
activities. Bob told us he will have 20+ letters copied for us to read
in future meetings from the other recipients who wrote to express their
thanks. It’s heartening to hear of their plans and the pride they take
in their grades and accomplishments.
Holiday Progressive Dinner Update
48 Kiwanians and their significant others attended the Progressive
Dinner last Saturday night, and by all accounts, it was an enjoyable
evening for all involved. Please thank hosts Scott and Terri Boyle,
Steve and Charlene Koch and Harvey and Kathleen Ford
for their generosity and great holiday spirit!
"A hand bell is a musical instrument the only thing worse than which
is two or more."
Adapted from the Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce
Guests and Visitors
Our speaker, Ken Burke, brought guests Myriam Irizarry,
Carol Heath and Charles Minnis to our luncheon and Dick
Koch introduced us to his guest, Rebecca Peterson, next
week's program's Music Director. Welcome! Join us anytime.
TODAY’S QUIZ
1. What became the longest-running (20 years) series on
television?
2. What is the actual name for 1/100th of a second?
3. Who were the characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street named
after? (C’mon, you know this, it’s a Christmas movie.)
4. What distinguishes the king of hearts from the other kings in a
deck of standard playing cards?
LAST WEEK’S QUIZ:
- The names of the Three Musketeers were
Athos, Porthos, and Aramis.
- There are nine U.S. Presidents who never
attended college: Washington, Jackson, Van Buren, Taylor,
Fillmore, Lincoln, A. Johnson, Cleveland and Truman.
- Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix was the first
ready-mix food to be sold commercially in the United States.
- Oscar Wilde’s famous last words were “Either
that wallpaper goes or I do!”
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Dear God, make me strong in spirit, courageous in action and gentle
of heart.
Let me act in wisdom, conquer my fear and doubt, discover my own hidden
gifts,
meet others with compassion, be a source of healing energies, and face
each day with hope and joy. Amen.
|
